Netflix, chill and an HIV test, please – Sqoop

Gen Z, please gather here for a quick family meeting. Bring your situationship, your “we are just talking” person and that “it’s complicated” individual you have been soft-launching online, because Uganda’s HIV numbers have delivered a reality check.

The face of HIV in Uganda is increasingly young people, particularly adolescent girls and young women, who continue to account for a significant share of new infections.

And some cities are recording worrying numbers. Fort Portal, Soroti and Lira have all featured prominently in recent discussions about HIV prevalence, reminding us that this is not somebody else’s problem happening somewhere far away.

Now, before anyone gets offended, let’s talk about the lifestyle.

Student hostels have become soft-life headquarters. Nightclubs are networking events for heartbreak. Airbnbs are booked by people who still tell three different contacts, “Goodnight, bestie.”

Somewhere between “Netflix and chill” and “Come over, my roommate has travelled,” we collectively forgot that HIV also knows the address.

One of the most dangerous things we tell ourselves is that HIV is no longer serious because treatment has improved.

Yes, HIV treatment has come a long way. People living with HIV who take their medication consistently can live long and healthy lives. But treatment is not the same thing as a cure.

Some people fear an unplanned pregnancy more than HIV. Others are more worried about screenshots leaking than contracting a sexually transmitted infection.

We have reached a point where asking someone for their phone password can feel easier than asking, “When was the last time you tested?”

Maybe we need to reverse that.

Make HIV testing normal. Make it part of dating conversations. If you are getting serious with someone, test together. It may not be the sexiest date idea, but neither is sitting in a clinic years later wishing you had asked a few uncomfortable questions.

And yes, faith has a place in the conversation.

Ugandans are deeply religious, and many people believe in divine healing. But faith should not become a reason to abandon medical treatment or dismiss scientific evidence.

God and medicine do not have to compete over your health.

If someone claims to have been miraculously healed of HIV, that claim should be confirmed through proper medical testing. “They checked and checked” may sound convincing at a crusade, but doctors need to know what was tested, how it was tested and whether the results were confirmed.

We have already seen the consequences when people stop taking lifesaving medication because they have been promised a miracle.

This is where we need to be serious.

Gen Z also needs to stop treating HIV prevention like an outdated lecture from a 2000s family planning advert.

Abstinence remains one prevention option. So does reducing your number of sexual partners. Condoms remain important. Testing with your partner is important. And people at increased risk can talk to health professionals about PrEP.

These are not old-school behaviours. They are survival skills.

Nobody is cancelling romance. Nobody is asking everyone to become monks. We are simply saying that before you collect another situationship, another “don’t tell anyone we are talking” relationship or another Airbnb booking disguised as a movie night, collect something much less exciting but far more important: your HIV test results.

Because vibes come and go.

HIV doesn’t disappear because somebody shouted, “Hallelujah!”